U.S. house panel considers bill curbing dual-class stock
NEW YORK, Oct 1 (Reuters) – A U.S. Home of Representatives panel plans to debate a draft invoice requiring corporations that go public with dual-class inventory to sundown the construction after seven years, in response to a duplicate of the proposed laws revealed late Thursday.
Twin-class share buildings, which give some stockholders extra voting energy, are out of favor amongst traders, however well-liked with fast-growing know-how corporations. U.S. traders have been pushing corporations to desert the construction for years however have stopped wanting not investing in these companies.
The draft invoice targets newly public corporations, and would grandfather in social media corporations akin to Fb Inc and Snapchat dad or mum Snap Inc . The invoice additionally permits for the dual-class construction to stay in place for an extra seven years if a majority of shareholders in every class approves it.
Shareholder advocacy group the Council of Institutional Traders wrote to the committee on Friday in assist of the invoice, together with the New York State Comptroller, which oversees $268 billion in public pension cash, and the Ohio Public Workers Retirement System (OPERS), with $113 billion in property below administration.
OPERS wrote within the letter that divesting from corporations with dual-class inventory eliminates the “risk of any constructive dialogue” it may have with the companies.
The invoice additionally requires corporations to reveal the racial and ethnic range of their boards and govt officers. The U.S. Securities and Trade Fee is already planning to implement an analogous rule.
Reporting by Jessica DiNapoli; Enhancing by Richard Chang
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